Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

It is unacceptable that we have been waiting this long for a national children's hospital. We should have seen its construction before now. It is also unacceptable that the Minister is a year later launching his second review. He must take responsibility in that regard. If he had conducted such a review a year ago, perhaps we might be further ahead. The reality is that he made a decision to proceed with the hospital on the Mater Hospital site. If in his view it was the correct location this time last year, why is he not willing to proceed with it now on it?

The Minister has not answered my questions about - to use his own language - the more "grandiose" aspects of the project. What exactly were the grandiose aspects of it? If he Minister considered they were an unnecessary luxury, why did he not intervene before now?

Unfortunately, we are a year into the Minister's tenure and there is even more overcrowding in the children's hospital and, unfortunately, we are further behind in the delivery of a national children's hospital. I ask the Minister to address these questions.

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